Characters & Catchphrases


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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Interviewees discuss the origins of some of television's most popular characters and sayings.

Highlights
Henry Winkler explains how his character "Fonzie" first said "whoa" on Happy Days
00:48
Sherman Hemsley on the creation of the "walk" for George Jefferson's character on The Jeffersons
01:36
Mary Tyler Moore on tossing hat in the air for the opening of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
00:45
Bob Barker on The Price is Right catchphrase "come on down!"
02:03
Connie Britton on Friday Night Lights' catchphrase, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"
03:36
Who talked about this topic

Andy Ackerman

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Andy Ackerman on Larry David's admiration of the character "Sgt. Bilko" and how that influenced Curb Your Enthusiasm
00:46
Andy Ackerman on how Seinfeld phrases made it into the pop culture lexicon
01:51

Lee Adams

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Lee Adams and Charles Strouse on how their song "Those Were The Days" - the title song to All in the Family - softened "Archie Bunker"
00:57

Edie Adams

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Edie Adams on the origin of the famous "Nairobi Trio" sketches on Ernie Kovacs' shows
02:43

Alan Alda

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Alan Alda on his M*A*S*H character, "Hawkeye" Pierce
03:05

Kay Alden

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Kay Alden on The Young and the Restless character "Katherine Chancellor" played by Jeanne Cooper and the show's early story lines
04:51
Kay Alden on working with Jeanne Cooper who plays "Katherine Chancellor" on The Young and the Restless
02:21

Jason Alexander

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Jason Alexander on his Seinfeld character, "George Costanza," being based on Larry David
09:14
Jason Alexander on his Seinfeld character, "George Costanza"
03:20
Jason Alexander on "George Costanza's" name and how he is similar to the character
04:01
Jason Alexander on the catchphrases of his Seinfeld character, "George Costanza"
02:14

Debbie Allen

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Debbie Allen on famous quotes from the TV show Fame
00:35
Debbie Allen on why "Whitley" and "Dwayne" were such popular characters on A Different World
01:07

Steve Allen

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Steve Allen on coining the phrase "bigger than a bread box" on What's My Line?
00:25

John Amos

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John Amos on the character of "James Evans" on Good Times
02:44
John Amos on his Roots character, "Kunta Kinte"
03:52
John Amos on his character of "Percy Fitzwallace" on The West Wing
02:51

John Aniston

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John Aniston on his Days of Our Lives character, "Victor Kiriakis," and on his early storylines
02:07

Alan A. Armer

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Alan A. Armer on David Janssen as "Dr. Richard Kimble" on The Fugitive
04:47

Lucie Arnaz

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Lucie Arnaz on Here's Lucy and her character, "Kim Carter"
02:51

James Arness

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James Arness on the character of "Marshall Matt Dillon" on Gunsmoke
03:20

Beatrice Arthur

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Beatrice Arthur on "Maude's" catchphrase: "God will get you for that!"
00:25
Beatrice Arthur on playing the character of "Maude Findlay" on Maude
08:06

Edward Asner

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Ed Asner on "Lou Grant"'s "I hate spunk!" from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
01:22
Ed Asner on his character "Lou Grant" from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
03:56

John Astin

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John Astin on his character, "Gomez Addams," on The Addams Family
09:56

Hank Azaria

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Hank Azaria on being cast as "Moe Szyslak" and other characters on The Simpsons  and working with Sam Simon on developing the voices
05:39
Hank Azaria on playing "Moe Szyslak" on The Simpsons
02:24
Hank Azaria on playing "Apu Nahasapeemapetilon" on The Simpsons
04:45
Hank Azaria on playing "Jeff Albertson a.k.a. The Comic Book Guy," "Snake," and "Lou the Cop" on The Simpsons
03:25
Hank Azaria on playing "Kirk Van Houten" and "Professor Frink," who was based on Jerry Lewis, on The Simpsons
02:28
Hank Azaria on playing "Dr. Nick Riviera" and "Disco Stu" on The Simpsons  and improving lines on the show
04:17

Reza Badiyi

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Reza Badiyi on Leonard Freeman coming up with the phrase "Book him, Dan-o"
01:52
Reza Badiyi on the character "Tony Baretta" 
01:24

Bob Barker

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Bob Barker on The Price is Right catchphrase "come on down!"
02:03

Donald P. Bellisario

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Donald Bellisario on "Magnum" of Magnum, P.I.  being a veteran of the Vietnam War
03:33
Donald Belisario on Scott Bakula as "Sam" in Quantum Leap
02:05

Harve Bennett

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Harve Bennett on Lee Majors as "Steve Austin" running in The Six Million Dollar Man
02:12

Rick Berman

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Rick Berman on Patrick Stewart as "Captain Picard" on Star Trek: The Next Generation
04:25
Rick Berman on Leonard Nimoy appearing as "Spock" on Star Trek: The Next Generation
01:33
Rick Berman on Kate Mulgrew as "Captain Janeway" on Star Trek: Voyager
03:17
Rick Berman on Scott Bakula as "Captain Archer" on Star Trek: Enterprise
02:17

Ken Berry

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Ken Berry on Vicki Lawrence as "Mama" on Mama's Family
03:10
Ken Berry on playing "Vinton Harper" on Mama's Family
04:37

Barbara Billingsley

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Barbara Billingsley on "June Cleaver's" high heels and pearls
01:06

Robert Blackman

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Robert Blackman on the "Picard maneuver" on Star Trek: The Next Generation
01:07

Lucille Bliss

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Lucille Bliss on a demonstration of the voices of "Rags" and "Crusader Rabbit" on Crusader Rabbit
01:16
Lucille Bliss on getting the role of "Smurfette" on The Smurfs
01:21
Lucille Bliss on "Smurfette's" relationship to her fellow Smurfs on The Smurfs
00:39
Lucille Bliss on a demonstration of "Smurfette's" voice on The Smurfs
00:33
Lucille Bliss on her character "Smurfette" on The Smurfs
01:33

Allan Blye

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Allan Blye on Bob Einstein's character "Super Dave Osborne"
01:58
Allan Blye on the popularity of Bob Einstein's "Super Dave Osborne" character and his various appearances on television and in a Nike commercial
01:36

Steven Bochco

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Steven Bochco on NYPD Blue's "Detective Andy Sipowicz", played by Dennis Franz
01:29

Ernest Borgnine

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Ernest Borgnine on his character on Airwolf
00:46

Tom Bosley

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Tom Bosley on his character "Father Dowling" on Father Dowling Mysteries, and on Mary Wicks on the show
02:28

Peter Boyle

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Peter Boyle on playing "Frank Barone" on Everybody Loves Raymond
02:14
Peter Boyle on "Frank Barone's" catchphrase "Holy Crap" on Everybody Loves Raymond
00:13

Eric Braeden

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Eric Braeden on "Victor Newman's" attitude towards women on The Young and the Restless
03:24

Bernie Brillstein

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Bernie Brillstein on Kermit the Frog
00:59
Bernie Brillstein on Miss Piggy being based on Peggy Lee
00:18

David Brinkley

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David Brinkley on teaming up with Chet Huntley (and the origin of their "Good Night" signoffs)
06:54

Connie Britton

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Connie Britton on Friday Night Lights'  catchphrase, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"
03:36
Connie Britton on her Friday Night Lights character "Tami Taylor" and how she developed over the series
02:59
Connie Britton on her character "Rayna Jaymes" on Nashville
02:52

James L. Brooks

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James L. Brooks on the character of "Rhoda Morgenstern"
00:20
James L. Brooks on the inspiration for "Louie De Palma" on Taxi
01:04
James L. Brooks on the inspiration for "Alex Reiger" on Taxi
02:18
James L. Brooks on the character of "Elaine Nardo" on Taxi
00:42
James L. Brooks on the character of "Bobby Wheeler" on Taxi
James L. Brooks on the popularity of "Bart Simpson"
00:47
James L. Brooks on "Homer Simpson"
01:23
James L. Brooks on "Marge Simpson"
01:14
James L. Brooks on "Bart Simpson"
01:23
James L. Brooks on "Lisa Simpson"
01:23
James L. Brooks on "Maggie Simpson"
00:13
James L. Brooks on "Ned Flanders"
00:32
James L. Brooks on "Mr. Burns"
00:24
James L. Brooks on "Smithers"
00:10
James L. Brooks on "Principal Skinner"
00:24
James L. Brooks on "Mo"
00:31
James L. Brooks on "Apu"
00:38
James L. Brooks on "Krusty the Clown"
01:45
James L. Brooks on "Itchy and Scratchy"
00:28
James L. Brooks on "Sideshow Bob"
00:20
James L. Brooks on "Nelson"
00:27
James L. Brooks on catchphrases of The Simpsons
00:34

Alton Brown

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Alton Brown on pop culture references on Good Eats
03:21
Alton Brown on characters on Good Eats - "W", crew members on camera, food experts, and the lady in the refrigerator
04:40

Harvey Bullock

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Harvey Bullock on writing for Don Knotts as "Barney Fife" on The Andy Griffith Show
04:49
Harvey Bullock on Jim Nabors as "Gomer Pyle" on The Andy Griffith Show
02:04
Harvey Bullock on writing The Andy Griffith Show  episode "One Punch Opie" and "Barney's" catchphrase "Nip it in the bud"
00:49

Mark Burnett

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Mark Burnett on Survivor host Jeff Probst's catchphrase, "the tribe has spoken"
01:34
Mark Burnett on the Survivor catchphrase, "out wit, out play, out last"
00:54

Carol Burnett

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Carol Burnett on how Bob Mackie's costumes helped her create characters on The Carol Burnett Show
01:39
Carol Burnett on her Tarzan laugh
00:44

Allan Burns

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Allan Burns on creating "Cap'n Crunch"
06:59

James Burrows

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James Burrows on Andy Kaufman's "Latka" and "Tony Clifton" on Taxi
05:49
James Burrows on Danny DeVito's "Louie De Palma" on Taxi
00:59
James Burrows on casting George Wendt as "Norm" on Cheers
01:44
James Burrows on casting "Cliff Clavin" on Cheers
00:58

LeVar Burton

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LeVar Burton on understanding and relating to his Roots character, "Kunta Kinte"
03:16
LeVar Burton on his Roots character, "Kunta Kinte"
02:13
Le Var Burton on his Star Trek: The Next Generation character "Geordi La Forge"
06:24

Robert Butler

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Robert Butler on directing Columbo  
06:15

David Canary

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David Canary on his first impressions of his All My Children character "Adam Chandler" and distinguishing him from his twin brother "Stuart Chandler"
03:01

Stephen J. Cannell

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Stephen J. Cannell on the theme song and catch phrases of Baretta
01:13

Diahann Carroll

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Diahann Carroll on the "startling" 1968 opening sequence of Julia
01:38
Diahann Carroll on the essence of the creation of her Dynasty character Dominique Deveraux
00:28

Chris Carter

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Chris Carter on casting Gillian Anderson as "Dana Scully" and David Duchovny as "Fox Mulder" on The X-Files
06:04

Nancy Cartwright

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Nancy Cartwright on "Bart Simpson"
00:35
Nancy Cartwright on the character of  "Bart Simpson" during the show's initial sketches
01:13
Nancy Cartwright on "Bart Simpson's" catchphrases
04:07
Nancy Cartwright on what makes "Bart Simpson" so lovable
07:36

Dan Castellaneta

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Dan Castellaneta on the appeal of his Simpsons character, "Homer Simpson"
09:18
Dan Castellaneta on the catch phrases of "Homer Simpson" on The Simpsons
01:45
Dan Castellaneta on doing the voice of "Krusty the Clown" on The Simpsons
03:22
Dan Castellaneta on doing the voices of "Grandpa Simpson" and "Groundskeeper Willie" on The Simpsons
02:07
Dan Castellaneta on doing the voices for "Mayor Quimby" and "Barney Gumble" on The Simpsons
01:59

Les Charles

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Glen and Les Charles on the title character "Phyllis" on Phyllis
01:27
Glen and Les Charles on the character "Louie De Palma" on Taxi
00:57
Glen and Les Charles on the character "Alex Reiger" (played by Judd Hirsch) on Taxi
01:34
Glen and Les Charles on the basis of the character "Norm Peterson" on Cheers
00:40
Glen and Les Charles on the basis of the character "Sam Malone" on Cheers
00:55
Glen and Les Charles on the basis of the character "Coach" on Cheers
00:45
Glen and Les Charles on the basis of the character "Cliff Clavin" on Cheers
00:53
Glen and Les Charles on the basis of the character "Carla Tortelli" on Cheers
00:51
Glen and Les Charles on which characters on Cheers changed the most throughout the run of the show
02:21

Glen Charles

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Glen and Les Charles on the title character "Phyllis" on Phyllis
01:27
Glen and Les Charles on the character "Louie De Palma" on Taxi
00:57
Glen and Les Charles on the character "Alex Reiger" (played by Judd Hirsch) on Taxi
01:34
Glen and Les Charles on the basis of the character "Norm Peterson" on Cheers
00:40
Glen and Les Charles on the basis of the character "Sam Malone" on Cheers
00:55
Glen and Les Charles on the basis of the character "Coach" on Cheers
00:45
Glen and Les Charles on the basis of the character "Cliff Clavin" on Cheers
00:53
Glen and Les Charles on the basis of the character "Carla Tortelli" on Cheers
00:51
Glen and Les Charles on which characters on Cheers changed the most throughout the run of the show
02:21

RuPaul Charles

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RuPaul Charles on the catchphrases and tag lines of RuPaul's Drag Race
04:37

Tom Cherones

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Tom Cherones on Seinfeld catchphrases
01:17

Michael Chiklis

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Michael Chiklis on playing "Tony Scali" on The Commish and meeting the real man upon whom the character was based
03:57
Michael Chiklis on his character, "Detective Vic Mackey" on The Shield
02:32

Robert Clary

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Robert Clary on his character, "LeBeau," on Hogan's Heroes
07:15

Bob Claver

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Bob Claver on the characters of The Partridge Family  and the musical aspects of the show
02:33

Andy Cohen

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Andy Cohen on the Top Chef catchphrase "Pack Your Knives and Go"
01:28

Jack Riley with Emerson College

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Jack Riley on what made his character of "Elliott Carlin" funny on The Bob Newhart Show
01:52

Betty White with Emerson College

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Betty White on being cast as "Sue Ann Nivens" on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
01:27
Betty White on playing "Rose Nylund" on The Golden Girls
06:09

Louis Nye with Emerson College

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Louis Nye on developing his "Gordon Hathaway" character
02:03

Robert Conrad

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Robert Conrad on his character "James T. West" on The Wild, Wild West
01:39
Robert Conrad on the legacy of his The Wild, Wild West character, "James T. West"
00:53

Richard Coogan

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Richard Coogan on the character and influence of "Captain Video" of Captain Video and His Video Rangers
05:32

Jeanne Cooper

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Jeanne Cooper on the development and evolution of her character "Katherine Chancellor" on The Young and the Restless
16:00
Jeanne Cooper on the subject of "Katherine Chancellor's" plastic surgery on The Young and the Restless
06:03

Hal Cooper

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Hal Cooper on directing Beatrice Arthur as "Maude Findlay" on Maude
13:16

Ken Corday

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Ken Corday on how Days of Our Lives is different than other soap operas
01:01
Ken Corday on Days of Our Lives great ratings and characters in the '80s
00:33
Ken Corday on the Salem Strangler storyline of Days of Our Lives
01:03
Ken Corday on "Stefano DiMera," Days of Our Lives' first super-villain, and his son Tony
02:40
Ken Corday on Kristian Alfonso joining Days of Our Lives' as "Hope"
02:14
Ken Corday on Days of Our Lives patriarch Macdonald Carey, "Tom Horton"
05:30
Ken Corday on the "Carly buried alive" storyline
00:52
Ken Corday on the "Marlena is possessed" storyline
01:47

Billy Crystal

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Billy Crystal on the popularity of his "Fernando" character on Saturday Night Live, and his catchphrase, "You look marvelous"
00:59
Billy Crystal on his "Sammy Davis, Jr." imitation on Saturday Night Live
04:13

Robert Culp

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Robert Culp on playing "Hoby Gilman" on the western series Trackdown
03:37
Robert Culp on his I Spy character, "Kelly Robinson"
01:50

Jane Curtin

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Jane Curtin on participating in Saturday Night Live's  "Coneheads" sketches 
01:52
Jane Curtin on playing the mother in "The Nerds" sketches on Saturday Night Live
01:27

Bill Daily

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Bill Daily on co-starring on The Bob Newhart Show as "Howard Borden" and the show's talented writers
01:44

Bill Dana

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Bill Dana on how "Jose Jimenez" became an astronaut, based on a comment by Neil Simon 
01:50
Bill Dana on the birth of his character "Jose Jimenez" on The Steve Allen Show in 1959
08:46
Bill Dana on his character "Jose Jimenez" who first appeared  as "Jose the Astronaut" on The Garry Moore Show
06:39
Bill Dana on the perceived backlash to "Jose Jimenez"
00:52
Bill Dana on retiring his "Jose Jimenez" character

Greg Daniels

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Greg Daniels on writing the supporting characters on The Office and creating story arcs
04:17

Richard Dawson

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Richard Dawson on his Hogan's Heroes character, "Peter Newkirk"
01:05
Richard Dawson on his Hogan's Heroes character, "Peter Newkirk"
02:18

Ruby Dee

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Ruby Dee on her role on Peyton Place
01:03

Elinor Donahue

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Elinor Donahue on getting cast as "Betty 'Princess' Anderson" on Father Knows Best
04:55
Elinor Donahue on her Father Knows Best character, "Betty Anderson"
00:36
Elinor Donahue on the reason for her short-lived role as "Ellie May Walker" on The Andy Griffith Show
02:22
Elinor Donahue on her role as "Evil Nurse Hunnicut" on Days of Our Lives
01:33

Dick Ebersol

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Dick Ebersol on Eddie Murphy wanting to kill "Buckwheat"
01:19
Dick Ebersol on the birth of the Blues Brothers
00:28

Roger Ebert

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Roger Ebert on the origin of "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" and trademarking the phrase "two thumbs up"
01:24

Barbara Eden

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Barbara Eden getting the role of "Jeannie" on I Dream of Jeannie and her interpretation of the character
06:13

Hector Elizondo

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Hector Elizondo on his Chicago Hope  character "Dr. Phillip Watters"
03:18

Linda Ellerbee

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Linda Ellerbee on her sign off, "And so it goes," and on the name of her production company, Lucky Duck
03:27

Dick Enberg

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Dick Enberg on his catch phrase, "Oh my"
01:20

Diane English

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Diane English on naming the character of "Murphy Brown"
00:55
Diane English on what Candice Bergen brought to the role of "Murphy Brown"
00:59
Diane English on the strong, believable character, "Murphy Brown"
02:29
Diane English on "Eldin Bernecky" as "Murphy Brown's" Jiminy Cricket
01:57
Diane English on Candice Bergen's contributions to her character, "Murphy Brown"
03:44

Bob Eubanks

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Host Bob Eubanks on the origin of The Newlywed Game's euphemism "makin' whoopee"
01:05

Edie Falco

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Edie Falco on "Carmela Soprano's" faith on The Sopranos and her relationship with her priest
02:20

Jamie Farr

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Jamie Farr on how Larry Gelbart got the inspiration for "Maxwell Q. Klinger" on M*A*S*H
00:41
Jamie Farr on his input on "Klinger's" wardrobe on M*A*S*H
01:22
Jamie Farr on awkward off-camera moments dressed as  M*A*S*H 's "Klinger"
03:43
Jamie Farr on his favorite "Klinger" outfits on  M*A*S*H
00:40
Jamie Farr on his character, "Klinger" on M*A*S*H
02:22
Jamie Farr on "Klinger's" strengths and weaknesses
01:49
Jamie Farr on how he's similar to his character, "Klinger" on M*A*S*H
01:08
Jamie Farr on how "Klinger" on M*A*S*H evolved over the series
00:59
Jamie Farr on why "Klinger" stopped wearing dresses on M*A*S*H
01:25
Jamie Farr on "Klinger's" wedding dress on M*A*S*H
00:55
Jamie Farr on his input for "Klinger's" character traits on M*A*S*H
01:33
Jamie Farr on "Klinger" on M*A*S*H being an iconic character
00:51

Irving Fein

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Irving Fein on Jack Benny's radio/TV persona and real life personality
02:11
Irving Fein on Jack Benny's guest appearance on The $64,000 Question (that led to a subsequent appearance of $64,000 Question host Hal March on The Jack Benny Program)
02:04
Irving Fein on Jack Benny's violin bit
02:04
Irving Fein on Jack Benny's classic comedy bits: Maxwell, the vault and the feud with Fred Allen
06:13
Irving Fein on The Jack Benny Program's Eddie Anderson
02:16

Barbara Feldon

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Barbara Feldon on the character "99" she played on Get Smart
01:17
Barbara Feldon on her Get Smart character, "99"
05:45
Barbara Feldon on Get Smart catchphrases
00:28

Norman Felton

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Norman Felton on Ian Fleming coming up with the name "Napoleon Solo" for The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
00:42

Sally Field

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Sally Field on the premise of Gidget and on the character of "Gidget"
08:38
Sally Field on her The Flying Nun character "Sister Bertrille"
03:20

Dorothy Fontana

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Dorothy Fontana on the original concept and vision of Star Trek, the pilot process, and the sale of the series to NBC
01:02
Dorothy Fontana on the technology used in Star Trek's world
02:41
Dorothy Fontana on Star Trek's "Klingons"
01:23

June Foray

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June Foray on "Rocky's" catchphrase "Hoky Smoke" and other catchphrases on The Bullwinkle Show
01:50

John Forsythe

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John Forsythe on providing the voice of "Charlie" on Charlie's Angels  for producer Aaron Spelling
08:51

Michael J. Fox

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Michael J. Fox on the character "Archie Bunker" from All in the Family
01:38
Michael J. Fox on "Alex P. Keaton" on Family Ties; what Gary David Goldberg intended with the character
03:35

Fred Foy

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Fred Foy on his first broadcast of "The Lone Ranger" on radio and saying, "A fiery horse with a speed of cloud and dust, and a hearty Hi-yo Silver, the Lone Ranger!"
01:26
Fred Foy on how the "Lone Ranger"' was never portrayed as a killer
00:36
Fred Foy on developing the voice as "The Lone Ranger's" announcer and on his influences
03:25
Fred Foy performs the memorable opening narration that he did for both radio and TV's "The Lone Ranger"
00:58

Genie Francis

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Anthony Geary and Genie Francis on the beginning of the "Luke and Laura" storyline phenomenon on General Hospital
06:13

Dennis Franz

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Dennis Franz on the traits of his character "Norman Buntz;" on returning to a show playing a different character; on the popularity of Hill Street Blues and his favorite "Norman Buntz" storyline
03:45
Dennis Franz on the positive traits of his NYPD Blue character, "Andy Sipowicz"
02:17
Dennis Franz on his character of "Sipowicz" on NYPD Blue
15:58

Jonathan Frid

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Jonathan Frid on his Dark Shadows character "Barnabas Collins"
02:58

Gerald Fried

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Gerald Fried on working on the theme for It's About Time
00:27
Gerald Fried on "Spock's theme" for Star Trek
01:09

Lowell Ganz

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Lowell Ganz on Happy Days' catchphrases
03:11
Lowell Ganz on the popularity of the "Fonzie" character on Happy Days  and working with Ron Howard
04:04
Lowell Ganz on making "Lenny" and "Squiggy" the "breakout" characters of Laverne & Shirley
01:35

Arthur Gardner

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Arthur Gardner on why Chuck Connors was the perfect actor to play "The Rifleman"
00:31

James Garner

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James Garner on his character, "Bret Maverick," on Maverick
02:26
James Garner on "Maverick" as the anti-hero
01:44
James Garner on the character of "Jim Rockford" on The Rockford Files
00:44

Brad Garrett

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Brad Garrett on getting cast as "Robert Barone" in Everybody Loves Raymond
03:10
Brad Garrett on where "Robert Barone" fit in the family on Everybody Loves Raymond
01:59
Brad Garrett on "Robert Barone's" character development over the course of Everybody Loves Raymond's 9 seasons; on the relationship between "Robert" and "Ray"
03:27
Brad Garrett on "Robert Barone's" voice and chin touching on Everybody Loves Raymond
02:01
Brad Garrett on his character "Eddie Stark" on 'Til Death
03:22

Larry Gelbart

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Larry Gelbart on how Jamie Farr was cast as the cross-dressing "Klinger" on M*A*S*H
02:25

Marla Gibbs

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Marla Gibbs on her Jeffersons character, "Florence Johnston"
06:24
Marla Gibbs on her 227 character, "Mary Jenkins"
05:23

Melissa Gilbert

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Melissa Gilbert on playing "Laura Ingalls" on Little House on the Prairie
03:19
Melissa Gilbert on her character "Laura Ingalls" on Little House on the Prairie
06:20

Paul Michael Glaser

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Paul Michael Glaser on "Starsky's" iconic wardrobe on Starsky and Hutch
01:53
Paul Michael Glaser on the car on Starsky and Hutch  and doing his own stunts
01:45

Lesli Linka Glatter

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Lesli Linka Glatter on Kyle MacLachlan as "Agent Dale Cooper" on Twin Peaks, and on the 2017 revival of the show
01:35

Gary David Goldberg

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Gary David Goldberg on Michael J. Fox's character of "Mike Flaherty" on Spin City
01:05

Louis Gossett, Jr.

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Louis Gossett, Jr. on playing "Fiddler" on Roots,
07:14

Walon Green

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Walon Green on introducing the character "Lt. Norman Buntz" played by Dennis Franz on Hill Street Blues
02:58
Walon Green on writing the first NYPD Blue episode with Jimmy Smits as "Bobby Simone,""Simone Says"
04:53

Everett Greenbaum

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Everett Greenbaum on the creation of "Gomer Pyle" on The Andy Griffith Show
03:09
Everett Greenbaum on the death of "Col Henry Blake" on M*A*S*H
01:45
Everett Greenbaum on the characters of M*A*S*H
01:29

Robert Guillaume

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Robert Guillaume on changes to the character of "Benson" when transitioning from Soap to Benson
00:50
Robert Guillaume on playing "Benson" in a way in which things would be funny to him and not just have "Benson" be a buffoon
03:41
Robert Guillaume on his character in Sports Night
00:22

Larry Hagman

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Larry Hagman on his Dallas character, J.R. Ewing
01:41

Jon Hamm

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Jon Hamm on his process for playing the "Dick Whitman/Don Draper" duality on Mad Men and his working relationship with Matthew Weiner
02:07
Jon Hamm on similarities between his father and "Don Draper" on Mad Men; on going to dark places with the character
05:35

Earl Hamner, Jr.

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Earl Hamner on working with Rod Serling and writing teleplays for The Twilight Zone
12:22
Earl Hamner on working on the TV version of The Homecoming with actress Patricia Neal in the role of the mother
04:52
Earl Hamner on working on the TV version of The Homecoming with Richard Thomas in the role of John Boy and other members of the cast
01:47
Earl Hamner on how the "Goodnight John Boy" trademark came into being
00:38
Earl Hamner on where sayings originated for The Waltons
00:42

Valerie Harper

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Valerie Harper on the character of "Rhoda Morgenstern"
01:01
Valerie Harper on the elements she brought to the character of "Rhoda Morgenstern"
06:10
Valerie Harper on "Rhoda Morgenstern's" fashion sense v. that of "Mary Richards"
02:05
Valerie Harper on how marriage changed "Rhoda"
00:37

Patricia Heaton

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Patricia Heaton on "Debra Barone," her character on Everybody Loves Raymond
08:55
Patricia Heaton on the relationship between "Debra Barone" and her family on Everybody Loves Raymond
04:37

Katherine Helmond

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Kathering Helmond on her character "Mona" on Who's the Boss? and the way she played that risque role; and what the role taught about widowers having a full life
05:56

Sherman Hemsley

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Sherman Hemsley on the creation of the "walk" for George Jefferson's character on The Jeffersons
01:36
Sherman Hemsley on how Isabel Sanford's character's "Weezy" nickname came about on The Jeffersons
01:04

Florence Henderson

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Florence Henderson on the development of "Carol Brady" on The Brady Bunch
04:36
Florence Henderson on "Carol Brady" and the concept of The Brady Bunch
00:32

Marilu Henner

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Marilu Henner on the character of "Elaine Nardo" on Taxi
02:41

Paul Henning

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Paul Henning on Buddy Ebsen agreeing to star as "Jed Clampett" in The Beverly Hillbillies
01:55

Buck Henry

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Buck Henry on his Saturday Night Live character "Uncle Roy"
02:42

Monica Horan

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Monica Horan on how the title for Everybody Loves Raymond came into being
00:50

Ron Howard

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Ron Howard on how his Andy Griffith Show character "Opie Taylor" developed from his real-life father's talks with Andy Griffith
02:03
Ron Howard on his Andy Griffith Show character "Opie Taylor's" relationship with his father 
01:47
Ron Howard describes the premise of Happy Days and breakout character "Fonzie"
01:33
Ron Howard on how "Fonzie" on Happy Days was being groomed to compete with "J.J." on Good Times
01:40
Ron Howard on the network and studio's waning interest in him on Happy Days in light of breakout character "Fonzie"
02:31
Ron Howard on his Happy Days character, "Richie Cunningham"
01:16
Ron Howard on his character "Richie's" relationship to "Fonzie" on Happy Days
01:06
Ron Howard on the Happy Days episode "My Favorite Orkan" (which introduced "Mork") and Robin Williams' talent
03:44
Ron Howard on "Richie's" memorable rendition of "Blueberry Hill" on Happy Days
00:37
Ron Howard on the inspiration for his trademark laugh from Happy Days
00:13
Ron Howard on what might have been "Richie Cunningham's" career trajectory following Happy Days
00:27
Ron Howard on Henry Winkler's role as oddball lawyer "Barry Zuckerhorn" on Arrested Development
01:13
Ron Howard on his role as the narrator of Arrested Development
01:52

Felicity Huffman

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Felicity Huffman on her character on Sports Night, "Dana Whitaker"
01:08
Felicity Huffman on her conflicted feelings about the relationship between her character on Sports Night, "Dana Whitaker" and Peter Krause's character, "Casey McCall"
01:52
Felicity Huffman on her Desperate Housewives character, "Lynette Scavo"
01:54
Felicity Huffman on her character on season 2 of American Crime, "Leslie Graham"
02:33

Roy Huggins

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Roy Huggins on casting Jack Kelly as "Bart Maverick" on Maverick
01:27

David Isaacs

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Ken Levine and David Isaacs on "Hawkeye Pierce," played by Alan Alda, and "Max Klinger," played by Jamie Farr, being their favorite M*A*S*H characters to write for
01:28
Ken Levine and David Isaacs on developing the characters of Cheers and creating the character of "Eddie LeBec," played by Jay Thomas
02:45
Ken Levine and David Isaacs on the relationship between "Sam Malone," played by Ted Danson, and "Diane Chambers," played by Shelley Long, on Cheers
04:27
Ken Levine and David Isaacs on the relationship between "Frasier Crane," played by Kelsey Grammer, and "Lilith Sternin," played by Bebe Neuwirth, on Cheers
07:14
Ken Levine and David Isaacs on writing for "Sam Malone," played by Ted Danson ,and "Diane Chambers," played by Shelley Long, on Cheers
02:00
Ken Levine and David Isaacs on how "Frasier Crane," played by Kelsey Grammer, changed from Cheers to Frasier
03:58
Ken Levine and David Isaacs on the relationship between "Niles Crane," played by David Hyde Pierce, and "Daphne Moon," played by Jane Leeves, on Frasier
02:52

David Jacobs

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Dallas creator David Jacobs on the character of J.R. Ewing
05:12
Dallas creator David Jacobs on the characters of Dallas
00:44

Allison Janney

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Allison Janney on her West Wing character, "C.J. Cregg, and what she brought to the role
05:53

Al Jean

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Al Jean on Julie Kavner as "Marge Simpson" on The Simpsons
01:32
Al Jean on Nancy Cartwright as "Bart Simpson" on The Simpsons
01:43
Al Jean on the names of The Simpsons characters and Matt Groening's involvement
01:41
Al Jean on the voices and catchphrases of The Simpsons
02:09
Al Jean on the catchphrases of The Simpsons
02:41

Russell Johnson

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Russell Johnson on "The Professor" being asexual on Gilligan's Island
01:40

Chuck Jones

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Chuck Jones on the creation of "Daffy Duck"; on "Bugs Bunny's" catch phrase "What's up, doc?" - on where the "doc" came from, and how "Bugs Bunny" got his name
02:44
Chuck Jones on the difference between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck
02:15
Chuck Jones on the creation of Daffy Duck
02:38
Chuck Jones on Pepe Le Pew and confidence; on the difference between nude and naked
03:50
Chuck Jones on Wile E. Coyote and the parody of a chase
03:57

Shirley Jones

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Shirley Jones on the character of "Shirley Partridge" on The Partridge Family, and on the writers getting ideas from Shirley Jones' life
06:49

Robert Justman

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Robert Justman on Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley and William Shatner and their Star Trek characters
04:07
Robert Justman on LeVar Burton's character on Star Trek: The Next Generation
01:01

Eddie Kean

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Eddie Kean on coining the word "cowabunga" on Howdy Doody
07:55

Bob Keeshan

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Bob Keeshan on playing "Clarabell the Clown" on Howdy Doody
23:08
Bob Keeshan on playing the character of "Clarabell the Clown" on Howdy Doody
02:01
Bob Keeshan on Hugh Brannum, "Mr. Green Jeans" on Captain Kangaroo
07:14
Bob Keeshan on Cosmo "Gus" Allegretti, who played "Mr. Moose", "Bunny", and "Grandfather Clock" on Captain Kangaroo
07:30
Bob Keeshan on the character of "Captain Kangaroo"
04:20
Bob Keeshan on the character of "Tom Terrific" on Captain Kangaroo
01:31

Barry Kemp

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Barry Kemp on the characters "Larry", "Darryl" and "Darryl" on Newhart
03:42
Barry Kemp on the opening theme to Newhart and the opening sequence
01:43

Larry King

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Larry King on his trademark suspenders
02:11

Eartha Kitt

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Eartha Kitt on playing "Catwoman" on Batman
02:48

Jack Klugman

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Jack Klugman on the role of "Oscar" on The Odd Couple
01:14
Jack Klugman on his Quincy, M.E. character being two heroes in one
02:13

Don Knotts

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Don Knotts on performing his Three's Company character "Ralph Furley's" "fainting spell" backward falls
00:17

Walter Koenig

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Walter Koenig on his  Star Trek character "Pavel Chekov"
15:03

Bernie Kopell

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Bernie Kopell on his character, "Doc's," prowess with the ladies on The Love Boat, and on Charo and Tom Hanks guest-starring on the show
05:50

Harvey Korman

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Harvey Korman on voicing "The Great Gazoo" on The Flintstones
03:32

Sheila Kuehl

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Sheila Kuehl on her Many Loves of Dobie Gillis character "Zelda Gilroy"
05:29

Angela Lansbury

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Angela Lansbury on her Murder, She Wrote character, "Jessica 'J. B.' Fletcher"
01:58

Jack Larson

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Jack Larson on the instant popularity of "Jimmy Olsen" on Adventures of Superman and being typecast as an actor
02:34
Jack Larson on why the "Superman" character has remained popular
02:33

Glen A. Larson

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Glen A. Larson on creating "Kitt" the car on Knight Rider
02:22

Louise Lasser

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Louise Lasser on her character, "Mary Hartman," on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
05:26

Piper Laurie

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Piper Laurie on portraying "Catherine Martell" on Twin Peaks
09:45

Lucy Lawless

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Lucy Lawless on the character of "Xena" on Xena: Warrior Princess
02:57

Michael Learned

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Michael Learned on her character of "Olivia Walton" on The Waltons
04:16
Michael Learned on The Waltons'  catchphrases and the scenes around the dinner table
03:32

David Lee

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David Lee on Frasier's  running gags
02:01
David Lee on the difference between "Frasier Crane" on Cheers  and Frasier
01:14
David Lee on the never-seen character of "Maris Crane" on Frasier 
01:01

Stan Lee

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Stan Lee on the enduring nature of the Spider-Man character
02:16

Sheldon Leonard

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Sheldon Leonard on the secret of The Andy Griffith Show's success: Andy Griffith's willingness to subdue his comedy talents
00:40

Ken Levine

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Ken Levine and David Isaacs on "Hawkeye Pierce," played by Alan Alda, and "Max Klinger," played by Jamie Farr, being their favorite M*A*S*H  characters to write for
01:28
Ken Levine and David Isaacs on developing the characters of Cheers  and creating the character of "Eddie LeBec," played by Jay Thomas
02:45
Ken Levine and David Isaacs on the relationship between "Sam Malone," played by Ted Danson, and "Diane Chambers," played by Shelley Long, on Cheers
04:27
Ken Levine and David Isaacs on the relationship between "Frasier Crane," played by Kelsey Grammer, and "Lilith Sternin," played by Bebe Neuwirth, on Cheers
07:14
Ken Levine and David Isaacs on writing for "Sam Malone," played by Ted Danson ,and "Diane Chambers," played by Shelley Long, on Cheers
02:00
Ken Levine and David Isaacs on how "Frasier Crane," played by Kelsey Grammer, changed from Cheers  to Frasier 
03:58
Ken Levine and David Isaacs on the relationship between "Niles Crane," played by David Hyde Pierce, and "Daphne Moon," played by Jane Leeves, on Frasier
02:52

Barry Levinson

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Barry Levinson on Richard Belzer's Homicide: Life on the Street character, "John Munch," being a crossover character with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
01:19

Steve Levitan

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Steve Levitan on Ed O'Neill as "Jay Pritchett" on Modern Family
01:45
Steve Levitan on Sofia Vergara as "Gloria Delgado-Pritchett" on Modern Family
03:17
Steve Levitan on Julie Bowen as "Claire Dunphy" on Modern Family
02:49
Steve Levitan on Ty Burrell as "Phil Dunphy" on Modern Family
04:55
Steve Levitan on Jesse Tyler Ferguson as "Mitchell Pritchett" on Modern Family
01:07
Steve Levitan on Eric Stonestreet as "Cameron Tucker" on Modern Family
01:42
Steve Levitan on Rico Rodriguez as "Manny Delgado" on Modern Family
03:01
Steve Levitan on Sarah Hyland as "Haley Dunphy" on Modern Family
01:19
Steve Levitan on Ariel Winter as "Alex Dunphy" on Modern Family
01:27
Steve Levitan on Nolan Gould as "Luke Dunphy" on Modern Family
01:16

Judith Light

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Judith Light on her Who's the Boss? character "Angela Bower's" wardrobe and the costumes for the cast
03:35
Judith Light on her Ugly Betty character "Claire Meade" and working with America Ferrera as "Betty Suarez"
04:44

Hal Linden

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Hal Linden on the character "Barney Miller" on Barney Miller
03:56
Hal Linden on the weaknesses of "Barney Miller" on Barney Miller and other traits of the character
04:28

William Link

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William Link on Lt. Columbo's trademark raincoat, car and cigars on Columbo
06:16
William Link on "Columbo's" catch phrase, "Just one more thing"
01:34

Warren Littlefield

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Warren Littlefield on replacing Nicholas Colasanto as "Coach" with Woody Harrelson on Cheers
02:05
Warren Littlefield on replacing Shelly Long as "Diane" with Kirstie Alley as "Rebecca" on Cheers
02:16

Barry Livingston

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Barry Livingston on his My Three Sons character "Ernie Thompson Douglas" and how he moved from the boy next door to adopted son; on "Ernie's" strengths and weaknesses
06:36

Norman Lloyd

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Norman Lloyd on Alfred Hitchcock's on-screen introductions on Alfred Hitchcock Presents
05:04

Chuck Lorre

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Chuck Lorre on Brett Butler joining Grace Under Fire and using Brett's backstory as Grace's - spousal abuse
00:50

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus on her character "Elaine Benes'" phrase "GET OUT!" on Seinfeld
00:38
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on her character "Elaine Benes" on Seinfeld
05:08
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on developing her character "Selina Meyer" on Veep
02:19
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on "Selina Meyer's" strengths and weaknesses on Veep; on making the character relatable
06:25

Susan Lucci

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Susan Lucci on her All My Children character "Erica Kane" 
03:23

Gavin MacLeod

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Gavin MacLeod on his Mary Tyler Moore Show character "Murray Slaughter"
01:44
Gavin MacLeod on his Love Boat character "Captain Merrill Stubing"
04:02

William H. Macy

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William H. Macy on playing "Dr. David Morgenstern" on ER
01:18
William H. Macy on his Shameless character, "Frank Gallagher" falling in love in season 5
01:21
William H. Macy on playing his Shameless character, "Frank Gallagher," as sober after many seasons of his character being frequently drunk
03:04

Jodi Mancuso

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Jodi Mancuso on being the inspiration for Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph's "Bronx Beat" sketches on Saturday Night Live
04:25
Jodi Mancuso on working with Tom Hanks on the "David S. Pumpkins" sketch on Saturday Night Live
03:25
Jodi Mancuso on hairstyling for the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special and on wigs for old characters like "Roseanne Roseannadanna" and "The Church Lady"
05:27
Jodi Mancuso on doing wigs for Portlandia characters "Toni" and "Candace," the bookstore ladies, and gender swap couple "Nina" and "Lance"
02:15

Ann Marcus

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Ann Marcus on the catchphrases of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
02:47

Rose Marie

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Rose Marie on her Dick Van Dyke Show character "Sally Rogers"
01:35

Penny Marshall

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Penny Marshall on the character of "Laverne DeFazio" on Laverne & Shirley
01:48
Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall on how the characters of "Laverne DeFazio" and "Shirley Feeney" changed in the transition from Happy Days  to Laverne & Shirley  and the wardrobe and set design of the show
02:58

Garry Marshall

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Garry Marshall on the creation of the Fonz on Happy Days
01:31
Garry Marshall on negotiating with ABC so Fonzie could wear a leather jacket on Happy Days
02:19

Dick Martin

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Dick Martin on the catchphrases of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In
01:14

Jerry Mathers

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Jerry Mathers on how he got the part of "The Beaver" on Leave It To Beaver
04:32
Jerry Mathers on how the name "Beaver" was chosen for his character on Leave It To Beaver
04:10
Jerry Mathers on "Beaver's" manner of speaking on Leave It To Beaver
03:41

David McCallum

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David McCallum on shooting the pilot of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and on the expansion of his character, "Illya Kuryakin"
02:10
David McCallum on his character, "Illya Kuryakin's" accent, wardrobe, and wedding ring on The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
00:57
David McCallum on how he would describe his NCIS character, "Dr. Donald Mallard" aka "Ducky'" and on "Ducky's" retirement and becoming NCIS historian
01:39
David McCallum on "Ducky's" heart attack at the end of season nine of NCIS and on his role as a mentor
03:02

Rue McClanahan

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Rue McClanahan on "Blanche Devereaux's" accent and wardrobe on The Golden Girls
06:23

Bob McGrath

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Bob McGrath on his character of "Bob" on Sesame Street
07:05
Bob McGrath on his fond memories of working with Carroll Spinney as "Big Bird" and "Oscar The Grouch" on Sesame Street
02:54

Ed McMahon

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Ed McMahon on his "Here's Johnny!" introduction on the The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, which started on the first episode of the show
01:01

Jayne Meadows

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Jayne Meadows on her sister Audrey Meadows as "Alice Kramden" on The Honeymooners
05:39

Burt Metcalfe

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Burt Metcalfe on the death of "Col Henry Blake" on M*A*S*H
04:39

David Milch

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David Milch on Ian McShane as "Al Swearengen" on Deadwood
03:03

Nolan Miller

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Nolan Miller on working with the three original Charlie's Angels: Jaclyn Smith as "Kelly Garrett," Kate Jackson as "Sabrina Duncan," and Farrah Fawcett as "Jill Munroe"
05:20
Nolan Miller on costuming Joan Collins as "Alexis Morell Carrington Colby Dexter" on Dynasty
02:33

Ricardo Montalban

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Ricardo Montalban on the Fantasy Island character "Tattoo" and actor Herve Villechaize
02:18

Mary Tyler Moore

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Mary Tyler Moore on tossing hat in the air for the opening of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
00:45
Mary Tyler Moore on her "Oh Rob!" catchphrase on The Dick Van Dyke Show
00:39

Harry Morgan

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Harry Morgan on playing "Bill Gannon" on Dragnet
00:50
Harry Morgan on his M*A*S*H character, Colonel Sherman Potter
07:10

Pat Morita

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Pat Morita on his character of "Arnold Takahashi" on Happy Days
03:56

Garrett Morris

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Garrett Morris on his character "Wheels" on the TV show Roll Out!
Garrett Morris on Kat Dennings' character on 2 Broke Girls
01:00
Garrett Morris on Kat Dennings' character on 2 Broke Girls
00:48
Garrett Morris on one of his most beloved Saturday Night Live characters - "Chico Escuela", created by Bill Murray and Brian Doyle Murray
03:20
Garrett Morris on one of his most beloved Saturday Night Live characters - the news announcer for the hard of hearing, created by Chevy Chase
01:04
Garrett Morris on Jonathan Kite's character "Oleg" on 2 Broke Girls
00:32

Michael Moye

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Michael Moye on Jimmie Walker's catchphrase "Dynomite" on Good Times
00:35
Michael Moye on Jackee Harry's character "Sandra Clark" on 227
01:05
Michael Moye on Ed O'Neill as "Al Bundy" on Married...With Children
01:59
Michael Moye on Katey Sagal as "Peggy Bundy" on Married...With Children
00:52
Michael Moye on Christina Applegate as "Kelly Bundy" on Married...With Children
03:56

Diana Muldaur

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Diana Muldaur on her L.A. Law character "Rosalind Shays," and on the reaction to the character
01:59

Bill Mumy

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Bill Mumy on his Lost in Space character "Will Robinson"
08:55

David Newell

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David Newell on his Mister Rogers' Neighborhood character, "Mr. McFeely"
03:35
David Newell on his Mister Rogers' Neighborhood character, "Mr. McFeely"
03:42
David Newell on his Mister Rogers' Neighborhood character, "Mr. McFeely's," catch phrase: "Speedy delivery"
02:09

Bob Newhart

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Bob Newhart on the catchphrase "Hi, Bob!" from The Bob Newhart Show
00:56

Nichelle Nichols

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Nichelle Nichols on the backstory and personality of her Star Trek character "Nyota Upenda Uhura"
03:33

Leonard Nimoy

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Leonard Nimoy on his Star Trek character "Mr. Spock's" trademark eyebrow arching
00:40
Leonard Nimoy on being influenced in his Star Trek "Mr. Spock" characterization by something he saw Harry Belafonte do on stage circa the 1950s
01:45
Leonard Nimoy on his Star Trek character "Mr. Spock"
04:28
Leonard Nimoy on his make-up as Star Trek's "Mr. Spock" and how it eventually gravitated toward a "cooler, more controlled" look
01:47
Leonard Nimoy on his Star Trek character "Mr. Spock's" inclusion being questioned within a network television system that relied on the norm
01:28
Leonard Nimoy on his discovery that the original marketing campaign of Star Trek tried to de-emphasize his character "Mr. Spock's" "devilish" look
02:30
Leonard Nimoy on his creation of "Mr. Spock's" Vulcan salute and its use in the episode "Amok Time"
01:51
Leonard Nimoy on his creation of "Mr. Spock's" Vulcan nerve pinch
02:08
Leonard Nimoy on the Star Trek episode "The Devil in the Dark," and "Spock's" mind meld ability
02:11

Bill Nye

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Bill Nye on how much of a persona he has on Bill Nye, The Science Guy
01:27

Hugh O'Brian

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Hugh O'Brian on the real life Wyatt Earp and his marriage to Josie Marcus
07:11

Carroll O'Connor

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Carroll O'Connor on his character, "Archie Bunker," on All in the Family
02:53
Carroll O'Connor on the perception of "Archie Bunker" by the viewing public
02:16
Carroll O'Connor on the source of "Archie Bunker's" malaprops and on series developer/executive producer Norman Lear's contribution to the nicknames "Archie" used
01:36

Ed O'Neill

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Ed O'Neill on his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy"
01:19
Ed O'Neill on how he's like his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy"
00:57
Ed O'Neill on his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy" and his strengths, weaknesses, stance, and catchphrases
03:59
Ed O'Neill on his Modern Family character, "Jay Pritchett"
02:33

Roscoe Orman

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Roscoe Orman on his audition for "Gordon" on Sesame Street and meeting with writer Jon Stone
04:38
Roscoe Orman on his Sesame Street character "Gordon"
03:46

Don Pardo

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Don Pardo on an SNL skit where he plays "Ron Lardo" and recites his famous line "It's Saturday Night Live"
01:43

Fess Parker

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Fess Parker on the costume he wore for Davy Crockett, including the iconic coonskin cap
01:19

Timothy Van Patten

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Timothy Van Patten on his character, "Salami," on The White Shadow
00:51
Timothy Van Patten on the character "Tony Soprano"
01:34

Regis Philbin

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Regis Philbin on Who Wants to be a Millionaire's: "Is that your final answer?"
00:29

Jacques Pépin

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Jacques Pépin on his "happy cooking" sign-off
00:25

Joyce Randolph

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Joyce Randolph on her role as "Trixie" on The Honeymooners
00:30

Dan Rather

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Dan Rather on his sign-off, "And that's a part of our world"
01:26

Tim Reid

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Tim Reid on working with Hugh Wilson to create the character of "Venus Flytrap" on WKRP in Cincinnati -- on the character's musical tastes, clothes, earring, and beard
02:44

Rob Reiner

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Rob Reiner on "Mike's" nickname "Meathead" on All in the Family, which came from what Norman Lear's father used to call him
00:47

Del Reisman

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Del Reisman on Rod Serling's on-camera introductions for The Twilight Zone
01:29

Gene Reynolds

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Gene Reynolds on casting Alan Alda as "Hawkeye Pierce" on M*A*S*H
04:56

John Rich

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John Rich on All in the Family's "Archie Bunker"
00:40
John Rich on using props to tell backstory of characters - as he did with Sherman Hemsley's "George Jefferson"
01:06

Joan Rivers

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Joan Rivers on her catchphrase "Can We Talk?" and building her humor
02:02

Fred Rogers

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Fred Rogers on the sweaters he wore on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
01:35
Fred Rogers on the parodies of "Mister Rogers"
03:12
Fred Rogers on the creation of "Daniel Tiger"
02:14
Fred Rogers on the puppets of The Children's Corner, including "Daniel Tiger," "King Friday XIII," and "Lady Elaine Fairchild"
03:49

Phil Roman

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Phil Roman on the characters and themes of the Charlie Brown Specials
01:31
Phil Roman on the character of "Garfield" the cat on the Garfield Specials voiced by Lorenzo Music
04:18

Phil Rosenthal

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Phil Rosenthal on differences between Ray Romano and "Ray Barone"
01:27
Phil Rosenthal on how Doris Roberts differs from "Marie Barone
00:43
Phil Rosenthal on "Marie Barone " - Everybody Loves Raymond's villain
02:26
Phil Rosenthal on the relationship between "Ray" and "Marie Barone"
04:21
Phil Rosenthal on how the character "Ray Barone" changed over time
01:10
Phil Rosenthal on the Everybody Loves Raymond character "Ray Barone"
02:58
Phil Rosenthal on the character "Debra Barone"
02:44
Phil Rosenthal on the relationship between "Ray" and "Debra Barone"
03:02
Phil Rosenthal on the differences between Brad Garrett and "Robert Romano" and why the character with the least amount of power is always the audience favorite
03:07
Phil Rosenthal on the relationship between "Ray" and "Robert Romano"
01:58
Phil Rosenthal on the relationship between "Robert Romano" and his parents
01:10
Phil Rosenthal on the character of "Frank Barone"
04:37

Stanley Ralph Ross

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Stanley Ralph Ross on Adam West as "Batman" and Burt Ward as "Robin" on Batman
01:00
Stanley Ralph Ross on writing the Batman episode "The Lady and the Tiger," which introduced "Catwoman"
02:15
Stanley Ralph Ross on the catch phrases of Batman
03:39

Marion Ross

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Marion Ross on her Happy Days character, "Marion Cunningham"
03:12

Mark Rothman

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Mark Rothman on inventing the Happy Days  catchphrase "Sit on it!"
02:18
Mark Rothman on "Fonzie" becoming the central character of Happy Days
02:24
Mark Rothman on Henry Winkler as "Fonzie" on Happy Days
07:23
Mark Rothman on developing the characters of Laverne and Shirley
02:46

Jay Sandrich

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Jay Sandrich on the popularity of Don Adams' "Would you believe" catchphrase from Get Smart
00:22

William Schallert

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William Schallert on his character(s) "Martin Lane" (and his identical brother) on The Patty Duke Show
01:40
William Schallert on why "Martin Lane" on The Patty Duke Show resonated with audiences
00:42
William Schallert on playing "Admiral Hargrade" on Get Smart
01:22

Richard Schiff

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Richard Schiff on his character "Toby Ziegler" from The West Wing
13:21

Bob Schiller

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Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the characters on Maude
06:25

Thomas Schlamme

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Thomas Schlamme on Martin Sheen as "President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet" on The West Wing
01:59

George Schlatter

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George Schlatter on the catchphrases of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In
02:24

Lorenzo Semple, Jr.

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Lorenzo Semple, Jr. on the origin of Batman's "Robin" saying "Holy!"
01:45
Lorenzo Semple, Jr. on Adam West as "Batman" in Batman
00:45
Lorenzo Semple, Jr. on Burt Ward as "Robin" in Batman
00:34

Garry Shandling

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Garry Shandling on how similar he is to the the TV version of Garry Shandling and Larry Sanders, and on breaking the fourth wall and other television conventions
01:51
Garry Shandling on the character "Larry Sanders"
01:01

Esther Shapiro

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Richard and Esther Shapiro on the creation of Joan Collins' character ("Alexis Carrington") on Dynasty
04:00

Richard Shapiro

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Richard and Esther Shapiro on the creation of Joan Collins' character ("Alexis Carrington") on Dynasty
04:00

George Shapiro

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George Shapiro on how Andy Kaufman got the role of on Latka on Taxi
07:15

William Shatner

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William Shatner on his Star Trek character "Captain James T. Kirk"
05:56
William Shatner on the various aspects of his Boston Legal character "Danny Crane's" personality, and on how he played him
20:50
William Shatner on the various aspects of his Boston Legal character "Danny Crane's" personality, and on how he played him
20:50

Jack Shea

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Jack Shea on "George and Louise Jefferson" on The Jeffersons
01:10

Judith Sheindlin

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Judith Sheindlin on the catchphrases, or "Judy-isms" of Judge Judy
03:14

Cybill Shepherd

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Cybill Shepherd on her Moonlighting character, "Maddie Hayes", and "Maddie's" relationship with "David Addison"
00:39

David Shore

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David Shore on the House  catchphrase "Everybody lies"
01:32
David Shore on developing the character of "Gregory House" on House
05:21
David Shore on Hugh Laurie as "Gregory House" on House
09:33

Treva Silverman

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Treva Silverman on creating the character of "Georgette," played by Georgia Engel, on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
04:46

Doris Singleton

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Doris Singleton on her character "Carolyn Appleby" on I Love Lucy
02:01

Erika Slezak

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Erika Slezak on her role as "Victoria Lord" on One Life to Live and some of her character's early storylines
13:40
Erika Slezak on her character, "Victoria Lord's," children on One Life to Live
03:35
Erika Slezak on how her One Life to Live character, "Victoria," has changed over the years
01:42

Robert Smigel

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Robert Smigel on the sketch "Bill Swerski's Superfans" about the Chicago Bears fans that he wrote for Saturday Night Live
01:04
Robert Smigel on writing the "Get a life" line for William Shatner on the classic Saturday Night Live sketch "Trekkers" in which Shatner says the line to some Star Trek superfans
02:17
Robert Smigel as "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog"
01:33
Robert Smigel on his Bob Dole Clutch Cargo impression on Late Night with Conan O'Brien being his favorite; on talking about the politician in the third person; on Dole being the funniest person he ever got to play; on doing a different version of the impression when he did Dole on The Dana Carvey Show
03:17
Robert Smigel on "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" filming a sketch outside a Star Wars movie premiere in New York City for a bit on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on roasting the Star Wars fans; on his process creating the "Triumph" sketches and how much is improvised and how much is written; on the funniest line Triumph ever said, for the Star Wars sketch ("Triumph" says to a fan dressed as "Darth Vader" "And which one of these buttons calls your mother to pick you up?”)
05:13

Yeardley Smith

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Yeardley Smith on remaining fairly anonymous when The Simpsons first aired because the producers didn't want the actors out there (partially because they didn't want people to know that "Bart" was voiced by a woman)
01:12
Yeardley Smith on Paul and Linda McCartney's guest appearance on The Simpsons, and how they made the writers promise that "Lisa" would remain a vegetarian for the rest of the series
01:33

Jaclyn Smith

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Jaclyn Smith on her Charlie's Angels character, "Kelly Garrett"
03:15
Jaclyn Smith on the various adventures of her Charlie's Angels character, "Kelly Garrett," and her favorite episodes
02:41

Tom Smothers

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Tom and Dick Smothers on the origin of Tom's "mom always liked you best" catchphrase
01:18

Dick Smothers

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Tom and Dick Smothers on the origin of Tom's "mom always liked you best" catchphrase
01:18

Herbert F. Solow

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Herbert F. Solow on NBC's response to "Mr. Spock's" ears on Star Trek
01:41
Herbert F. Solow on how NBC didn't initially want "Mr. Spock" on Star Trek
02:56
Herbert F. Solow on his impression of the original idea for "Mr. Spock" on Star Trek
00:18
Herbert F. Solow on Leonard Nimoy's obvious popularity and "Mr. Spock" becoming the second lead on Star Trek
00:24

Suzanne Somers

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Suzanne Somers on how her hairstyle and trademark laugh came about for Three's Company character "Chrissy Snow"
02:02
Suzanne Somers on her Three's Company character, "Chrissy Snow"
01:14

Aaron Spelling

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Aaron Spelling on Joan Collins joining Dynasty
01:41

Caroll Spinney

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Caroll Spinney on performing Sesame Street's "Oscar the Grouch"
00:31
Caroll Spinney on his characterization of "Big Bird" on Sesame Street
01:54
Caroll Spinney on the mechanics of operating "Big Bird" during the first year of Sesame Street and changing the character's persona to that of a six-year-old child
03:53
Caroll Spinney on "Oscar the Grouch" and changes to the character within the first year of Sesame Street
03:25

Jean Stapleton

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Jean Stapleton on her initial characterization of "Edith Bunker," and seeing a single episode of the British show on which All in the Family was based, Till Death Do Us Part
01:41
Jean Stapleton on creating "Edith Bunker's" characterization, including her constant hurrying and nasal voice
00:54
Jean Stapleton on her description of All in the Family's "Edith Bunker"
00:58
Jean Stapleton on the decision to have the character of Edith Bunker die, in the Archie Bunker's Place episode "Archie Alone"
03:27
Jean Stapleton on the growth of "Edith Bunker" over the course of All in the Family, as seen in such episodes as "Edith's Night Out"
02:06

Ben Starr

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Ben Starr on coming up with the catchphrase "Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?" for Diff'rent Strokes
00:38

Leonard Stern

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Leonard Stern on Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden as "Everyman"; Joe the Bartender
Leonard Stern on Art Carney and his Honeymooners character "Ed Norton"; how the hand gesticulations came about
Leonard Stern on The Honeymooners ' Audrey Meadows and her "Alice" character
Leonard Stern on recurring sketches on The Steve Allen Show : Man on the Street and The Question Man, how Don Knotts' "nope!" came about; Tom Poston's character who forgot his name
Bill Dana's "Jose Jiminez" character on The Steve Allen Show ; how it came about- running a school for Santa Clause
Leonard Stern on how "Jose Jimenez" character came about on The Steve Allen Show, developed by Bill Dana
Leonard Stern on the famous catchphrases of Get Smart ;"sorry about that chief", "would you believe", "missed it by that much"

Jeremy Stevens

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Jeremy Stevens on Brad Garrett as "Robert Barone" on Everybody Loves Raymond
03:48
Jeremy Stevens on Patricia Heaton as "Debra Barone" on Everybody Loves Raymond
00:31
Jeremy Stevens on Doris Roberts as "Marie Barone" on Everybody Loves Raymond
01:11
Jeremy Stevens on Peter Boyle as "Frank Barone" on Everybody Loves Raymond
01:45

Jerry Stiller

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Jerry Stiller on his Seinfeld character "Frank Costanza"
02:59

Gale Storm

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Gale Storm on her My Little Margie character "Margie Albright"
01:48
Gale Storm on how her My Little Margie character, "Margie Albright" was not a typical American woman
01:24
Gale Storm on her character "Susannah Pomeroy" on The Gale Storm Show (aka Oh Susanna)
00:35
Gale Storm on recollections of My Little Margie via B-roll footage
04:11

J. Michael Straczynski

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J. Michael Straczynski on Michael O'Hare as "Jeffrey Sinclair" on Babylon 5
01:54
J. Michael Straczynski on Susan Ivanova as "Claudia Christian" on Babylon 5
01:50
J. Michael Straczynski on Bruce Boxleitner as "John Sheridan" on Babylon 5
02:31
J. Michael Straczynski on Jerry Doyle as "Michael Garibaldi" on Babylon 5
02:13

Charles Strouse

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Lee Adams and Charles Strouse on how their song "Those Were The Days" - the title song to All in the Family - softened "Archie Bunker"
00:57

George Takei

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George Takei on how the name of his Star Trek character, Mr. Sulu came about
01:47

Jeffrey Tambor

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Jeffrey Tambor on his Larry Sanders Show  character "Hank Kingsley"
02:34
Jeffrey Tambor on "Hank Kingsley's" Larry Sanders Show  catchphrase "Hey Now"
00:43
Jeffrey Tambor on his impressions of "George Bluth" and his relationship to his family on Arrested Development
03:01

Marlo Thomas

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Marlo Thomas on the relationship between "Ann" and "Donald" on That Girl
01:43
Marlo Thomas on guest-starring on Friends -- she posits that "Rachel" is a modern "That Girl" 
00:50
Marlo Thomas on guest-starring on Friends as "Sandra Green"
00:56

Richard Thomas

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Richard Thomas on working with The Waltons creator Earl Hamner, Jr., and on the character of "John-Boy Walton"
08:07
Richard Thomas on The Waltons "Goodnight" catch phrase
02:16
Richard Thomas on his character, "John-Boy Walton," on The Waltons
08:36
Richard Thomas says "goodnight" to interviewer Adrienne Faillace
00:18

Mel Tolkin

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Mel Tolkin on the challenges of writing for the "Archie Bunker" character on All in the Family, and on story ideas he had for the show
02:56

Daniel J. Travanti

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Daniel J. Travanti on his character, "Captain Frank Furillo's," function on Hill Street Blues
05:45

Tracey Ullman

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Tracey Ullman on her character "Kay Clark" on The Tracey Ullman Show, and on the character's real-life inspiration
02:22

Robert Vaughn

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Robert Vaughn on his character, "Napoloeon Solo" in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
01:00
Robert Vaughn on being recognized as "Napoleon Solo"
01:03

Helen Wagner

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Helen Wagner on the development of her character "Nancy Hughes" on As the World Turns
05:05

Jimmie Walker

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Jimmie Walker on his character, "J.J. Evans," on Good Times, and on "Michael Evans" played by Ralph Carter
05:36
Jimmie Walker on his Good Times catch phrase, "Dyn-o-mite!" and on how Norman Lear felt about it
04:24

Clint Walker

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Clint Walker on his approach to playing "Cheyenne Bodie" on Cheyenne
01:23
Clint Walker on his character, "Cheyenne Bodie", on Cheyenne; on riding horses
06:58

James Wall

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James Wall on his character, "Mr. Baxter," on Captain Kangaroo
03:06

Barbara Walters

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Barbara Walters on Gilda Radner's Saturday Night Live character "Baba Wawa"
00:22

Joseph A. Wapner

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Joseph Wapner on the catchphrase on The People's Court - "Don't take the law into your own hands"
00:28

Malcolm-Jamal Warner

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Malcolm-Jamal Warner on his character "Theo Huxtable" on The Cosby Show
08:13

Ruth Warrick

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Ruth Warrick on developing her All My Children character "Phoebe Tyler," and learning that an audience can accept a villainous character that they "love to hate" 
03:56
Ruth Warrick on All My Children's  casting and staying true to her character "Phoebe Tyler"
03:16
Ruth Warrick on what she's learned from her All My Children  character "Phoebe Tyler"
03:01

Bob Weiskopf

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Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the characters on Maude
06:25

Dawn Wells

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Dawn Wells on her Gilligan's Island character, Mary Ann Summers, as a role model
01:42
Dawn Wells on her Gilligan's Island character, Mary Ann Summers
01:14
Dawn Wells on the short shorts worn by her Gilligan's Islan d character, Mary Ann Summers
01:10
Dawn Wells on the question of one's preference, "Ginger or Mary Ann?"
01:20
Dawn Wells on the evolution of Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island
00:28

Adam West

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Adam West on how the quick change on the "batpoles" were filmed on Batman
01:04

Ruth Westheimer

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Dr Ruth Westheimer on her start in television hosting; on how she came to be called "Dr. Ruth"
02:40

Ellen Wheeler

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Ellen Wheeler on her Another World  character "Marley Love Hudson McKinnon"
01:25

Tucker Wiard

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Tucker Wiard on Dan Quayle's comment about the character of "Murphy Brown"
03:42

Fred Willard

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Fred Willard on playing "Jerry Hubbard" on Fernwood 2-Night
12:27

Cindy Williams

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Cindy Williams on her Laverne & Shirley  character "Shirley Feeney"
10:08
Cindy Williams on "Shirley Feeney"'s character and love life on Laverne & Shirley
03:56
Cindy Williams on her input on "Shirley Feeney" on Laverne & Shirley  and how "Boo Boo Kitty" came about
02:04
Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall on how the characters of "Laverne DeFazio" and "Shirley Feeney" changed in the transition from Happy Days  to Laverne & Shirley  and the wardrobe and set design of the show
02:58

Henry Winkler

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Henry Winkler explains why his character "Fonzie" wouldn't comb his hair on Happy Days and describes the iconic character and his mannerisms
02:37
Henry Winkler explains when his character "Fonzie" first said "whoa" on Happy Days
01:15
Henry Winkler on using the Fonz's catchphrases in public
02:10
Henry Winkler on Fonzie's phrases and powers
01:24
Henry Winkler on how the Fonz changed from the beginning of Happy Days to the end
00:36
Henry Winkler on being typecast as the Fonz from Happy Days
01:05
Henry Winkler on the influence of MacGyver on pop culture
02:47
Henry Winkler on satirizing his iconic character "Fonzie" on Arrested Development ; and jumping the shark.. twice
00:28

Terence Winter

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Terence Winter on writing characters for The Sopranos - "Tony Soprano"
04:46
Terence Winter on the characters on Boardwalk Empire - "Enoch 'Nucky' Thompson"
02:30

Jonathan Winters

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Jonathan Winters on his famous granny character Maude Frickert, first introduced on the Jonathan Winters Show on NBC
03:33
Jonathan Winters on his famous granny character "Elwood P. Suggins", first introduced on the Jonathan Winters Show on NBC
04:44
Jonathan Winters on his characters "Elwood P. Suggins", "General Pershing", and "King Kwasi"
05:26

Jane Wyatt

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Jane Wyatt on her character "Margaret Anderson" on Father Knows Best and becoming an iconic TV mom
03:27

Alan Young

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Alan Young on finding the voice for "Mister Ed," and on how they made the horse talk
04:01
Alan Young on his Mister Ed character "Wilbur Post"
02:43

Kim Zimmer

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Kim Zimmer on "Reva Shayne's" relationship with "Josh Lewis" played by Robert Newman on Guiding Light
04:56
Kim Zimmer on playing "Nola Dancy Aldrich" on The Doctors
03:28
Kim Zimmer on the character she played on her second One Life to Live stint, "Echo DiSavoy"
02:35
Kim Zimmer on her Guiding Light character, "Reva Shayne"
01:47
Kim Zimmer on the qualities she brings to "Reva Shayne" on Guiding Light and on how audiences react to her
03:43
Kim Zimmer on "Reva Shayne's" place in the universe of Guiding Light and on working with the writers on her character; on the clone storyline
08:30
Kim Zimmer on "Reva Shayne's" children on Guiding Light and on her signature red dresses
04:14

Anthony E. Zuiker

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Anthony E. Zuiker on William Peterson as "Gil Grissom" on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and on his duties in season one
01:46

Alan Zweibel

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Alan Zweibel on writing the character "Roseanne Roseannadanna" with Gilda Radner for Saturday Night Live, and on their writing process
08:25
Alan Zweibel on Garrett Morris on Saturday Night Live, and on creating and writing his "Chico Escuela" character
02:28

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